Radioactive | Bucky Barnes

THRO: CHAPTER SEVEN

If anyone saw the red flames that knocked back the destroyer's energy. They would have seen red vs blue blasts fighting to control the other. Until the destroyer sent another blast, knocking Rhiley back and through the glass window of a small store on main street. 

Knocked unconscious, her veins still pulsed red. 

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"I want to know why?" Dylan had once asked. "Why did he choose you?" 

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"Are you sure about this doctor? We still don't have all the data-" 

"We do-" The Doctor looked through the window, where Rhiley had been tied to a chair in the middle of an abandoned nuclear plant, "She's the one, she's the new vessel --- are you questioning me, son?" 

Dylan looked at his father, he tried to hide the disappointment on his face. He avoided eye contact. "Of course, not." 

"Then get it ready." 

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Five minutes. Rhiley had been dead for a mere five minutes after her interaction with the hammer. She did not remember a single thing until she found herself struggling to open her eyes after being smashed into a storefront. 

Darkness had been all around her. 

The light -- that red glow had spoken -- the fire in her veins had spoken. 

Rhiley wanted to laugh at how ridiculous that sounded. She brushed the glass off her clothes, taking the ones that had stabbed into her skin. Nothing major except for the large cut on her forehead. 

'Find me." 

She remembered the words spoken to her before she had woken up with a worried Phil standing over her. 

Her heart had stopped for five minutes. 

Just like it had back at the nuclear reactor all those years ago. 

"How long can you hide this?"  Howard asked, kneeling in front of Rhiley, "How long can you continue to hide the truth of what happened that day? Of what you allowed to happen--" 

"I never told you." Rhiley muttered, "And there is a reason." 

"I would have tried to save you." 

"You can't." Rhiley stood, using one of the shelves to keep her balance, "You're dead." 

Howard only watched Rhiley before he disappeared in front of her eyes. She found her hand gripping the burn the tattoo she had done and the memories that had been attached to it. That was so long ago. 

The days kept coming, and she was being left behind. Everything was too much and yet she still stood, waiting for the next time her heart stopped.

And not start. 

"Erik!" Jane's scream pulled Rhiley out of her thoughts. 

Rhiley stepped out of the storefront through the window to see the injured warriors slowly losing, and Dr. Selvig lying down amid the debris - impaled.  

She didn't hesitate as she rushed towards them, finding herself gripping onto Jane's shoulder as she kneeled. There were no words Rhiley could say so she gripped Jane's shoulder tighter, she was surprised when Jane did not smack her hand away. 

Jane took Erik's hand as Thor darted off as if he had seen something that could help. 

"You're bleeding." Eric points out, looking above at where Rhiley knelt. 

"I'm a fast healer." Rhiley laughed, "I've been through worse." 

"Have you ever been impaled?" Erik tried to make light of the situation. 

"I have not," Rhiley whispered, looking at Jane's white knuckles - she held his hand tight. 

Thor rushes back with a simple stone. "What are you doing?" Jane asked looking at the glowing stone that Thor crushed. 

The powder falls upon the piece of iron, dissolving it, heading downwards until it reaches Selvig's wound. Then it heals the wound completely. 

Rhiley let her hand fall from Jane's shoulder in disbelief. Even she couldn't heal like that. 

Erik looks at Jane, "I'm really starting to like him." 

Thor looked at Rhiley, "Keep them safe." He said before running towards his own friends. 

"We need to take care of that head wound," Erik says, looking closely at the wound on Rhiley's forehead. "You could have a concussion." 

"We should get up." Rhiley stood, helping both Jane and Erik up. Jane hadn't taken her eyes off of Thor. The God of Thunder had walked into battle defenseless. 

"Brother" Thor yelled, "For whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am sorry! But these people have done nothing to you. They are innocents." He continues towards the Destroyer. 

Jane looked at Rhiley, "You need to help him." 

"I-" 

"Take my life," Thor bargained, "And know I will never return to Asgard." 

Thor reached the Destroyer, extending his arms. He was ready to sacrifice himself for a world he only got to understand. Rhiley flinched when the Destroyer smacked Thor, sending him flying and landing with a crack. 

Rhiley didn't flinch at Thor but the noise Jane had made. 

She saw the way Jane broke when Thor did not get up. He lay there, motionless. Rhiley had been there, she knew what that pain felt like. 

"Jane, no!" Selvig pulls her into the Smith Motors before she can go running towards Thor. A final breath lit his lips as Jane screamed for Rhiley to do something -- anything --- as the destroyer looked ready to unleash another fiery blast. 

Rhiley took a couple of steps into the street and ended up throwing a large car door into the face of the giant. 

It had pulled focus onto Rhiley and all she needed was a couple of seconds. If she could save this man for Jane -- if someone could have saved James -- she would do everything, she would throw everything at this being. 

So when the being simply shrugged Rhiley off and went back to Thor, the energy in the metal face bubbled up and was ready to explode. 

Rhiley stepped forward and blood dripped from her nose. She shoved it back, keeping it from blasting Thor into nothing. Using her telekinesis until she fell onto her knees, her eyes burned red. 

She felt her grasp on the destroyer slipping. It slipped when a bolt of lightning struck down, colliding with the Destroyer's blast the moment Rhiley felt herself let go and collapse onto the ground. 

Rhiley watched, unable to move, as the Destroyer was hurled backward, a cloud of dust enveloping the street,t and as the smoke cleared - 

There stood Thor, the God of Thunder.